Monday Michiru does it again with Double Image..
lemonzest | Pennsylvania | 01/30/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"After I read the two earlier listener reviews (which greatly disappointed me), I felt I should add something a little more indepth. This album is yet another spectacular production from one of Japan's foremost acid jazz/club/house/whatever you want to call it artists. The album opens up with the Spanish guitar-flavored Interlude, then moves on to Yellow Bird's sweetly sung opening (which quickly converts to a lucid dance beat, never overpowering). Method 2 The Madness starts out as a slowed-down techno beat, then begins to interlace fast-paced lyrics to create a fairly good song, not my favorite, but decent enough. Victim picks back up with an almost tropical beat.. Freed or Bound is a jazz tune, with a relaxed beat and lots of toned-down trumpets/saxophone. Then comes the killer track, You Make Me. This was the song that introduced me to her music, and it is by far one of my all-time favorite songs. This one really DOES make you want to "get up to dancing" - if you can listen to this song sitting still, I'll be very surprised. ^_^ Damned If U Do is a very liquid song, back to the slower beats, but the flute melody interspersed within is a nice contrast. Find Me is a very relaxed piece that intensifies as it goes on, very beautiful. Island of the Saints is the ultimate "lying on a beach in tropical paradise" kind of song. Another one of my favorites. Scheme of Things is another instrumental jazz piece. Haven't heard Cruel 2 Be Kind, so I can't comment on that one.. Double Image sounds like it was recorded at a jazz club, with the sounds of people in the background and a smooth, flowing trumpet taking the lead. The album closes with Reflection, a nicely paced song that brings you down softly from the clouds the rest of the album will have you floating in. ^_^ This is one of my favorite albums, with a few outstanding songs and only one or two that I could live without. DEFINITELY worth the import price. :)"
'Knowledge and worth are in double image.'
Juub005 | Topsfield, MA United States | 06/09/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Monday Michiru is an artist whose music I am only in the beginning stages of exploring. I can't say that I have ever heard anything like her music before. She is a beautiful vocalist and there is little doubt that she knows how to be creative. I have listened to one other CD of hers, "4 Seasons." The reason I recommend this album over 4 Seasons is that it is much more varied in style, sound, etc.
My least favorite tracks on this album (Don't let that phrase mislead you---they're still brilliant) are "Cruel 2 Be Kind," "Damned If U Do, Damned If U Don't," and "Method 2 the Madness." The reason that they are my least favorite is because these tracks convey feelings such as those of depression, being lost, sadness. It's extremely easy for the songs to change my mood to those in those songs; it's like I'm right there with Monday and her fellow musicians experiencing what they are experiencing. I don't mean to sound like I'm exaggerating, but she's seriously that good.
Now I'm usually in a good mood so I'm looking for something to reflect that mood. Once I'm in the depressed mood thanks to Method 2 the Madness I can go right to "Victim" for a track that explores both happy and sad moods. "Freed and Bound" are similar. Then I would come to "You Make Me" which is the most well-known track on the album; it makes you "wanna get up to the dancing" and I do believe that most people would do so. It starts with a nice, smooth intro defined by Monday's soothing vocals and soon shifts to the trumpet leading you into the great chorus... "You make me wanna get up in the morning / You make me wanna stay up all night...long / You make me wanna get up to the dancing / You make me wanna reach up to the sky / I feel so high". This chorus is forever ingrained in my head. Or the whole song.
Then there's the slow, smooth, "Damned If U Do, Damned If U Don't," quite the interesting listen. Then you start "Find Me," which is soulful and smooth, with the violin playing an essential part in this song.
Then we come to the real gem of this album. "Island of the Saints" is absolute pleasure, the key lyric here being "It's paradise / On the island of the saints." The first half of the song is all about relaxation and smoothness, with the flowing harp and Monday's smooth vocals; then the fast drums kick in. By the end of the song you have an exotic blend of instruments and rhythm.
"Scheme of Things" is a nice little instrumental track with a smooth flute and sax sending out the melody for a good part of the song. "Double Image" is quite the odd track. Its length is at 10:08 (most of the tracks on Monday's albums are long, but not this long). It makes good use of electronica elements but it really is something else, just like just about every track on this CD except even moreso. And then we have the... I guess meditative ending of "Reflections."
So that is basically how the album is really worth a 22 or 30 or whatever dollar price. This album is all about exploration of moods."
Puts the jazz and funk back in acid jazz
Scott Woods | Columbus, Ohio United States | 05/20/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Japanese siren Monday Michiru's influenes really gels here. She's got enough self-confidence that she isn't scared to let a few instrumentals shine, but that's probably because she knows her voice is pure magic. She's been at this game a long time, and this record is a great launching point into her world. The tracks are funky, with hints of modern electronic musings matched with acoutic instrumentation. Simply phenomenal."
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1